Wheeler County Jail in Wheeler, Texas 79096 is located at 304 Alan Bean Boulevard. The jail’s bed capacity is 48, and the contact phone number is (806) 826-5537. Operations of Wheeler County Jail are among the responsibilities of the Wheeler County Sheriff. Establishing guidelines for jail operations in county jails has been assigned by legislators in Texas to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). Enforcement of minimum jail standards is achieved with annual jail inspections and follow-up scrutiny for non-compliant county correctional facilities.

Restraint Chairs

Per TCJS, restraint chairs are approved for use in certain situations in county jails in Texas. The purpose of various TCJS-approved devices is to provide jailers with a method for handling inmates threatening harm to themselves or others with their immediate behavior. Other devices that are less restrictive than a restraint chair must be attempted before it is considered.

When an inmate is strapped into a restraint chair, mechanical locking devices are placed on his or her ankles and wrists. In addition, a strap is placed on the lap and torso. It is widely understood that the forced inactivity from being restrained in this manner places inmates at risk for developing a deadly pulmonary embolism.

Various watchdog groups have exposed various dangers of restraint chairs, such as inmates being abused and humiliated by jailers during the time spent in one of the chairs. The information has created tremendous controversy, and some US jurisdictions have banned the use of the chairs, though none in Texas.

This website’s posts are meant as resources that could help county jail inmates in Texas, whether currently or previously incarcerated. This site never intends to infer wrongs on the part of anyone or any organization.

–Guest Contributor